


Bloodlines: Insert Training Story Here

by ForceCommanderJoe (orphan_account)



Series: RWBY: Bloodlines [2]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Beacon Academy, Children of Characters, Future Fic, Gen, Headcanon, Next Generation, Training
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-03
Updated: 2019-12-08
Packaged: 2021-01-21 09:55:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21297569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/ForceCommanderJoe
Summary: Naturally, with Remnant at peace it's a good time for a new generation to take up arms and follow in their family's footsteps to become Huntsmen.Naturally, it's also a good time for some unlikely friends to meet and start bouncing off one another.Naturally, it's not a walk in the park at first.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Sun Wukong, Lie Ren/Nora Valkyrie, Weiss Schnee/Neptune Vasilias
Series: RWBY: Bloodlines [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1453669
Comments: 6
Kudos: 4





	1. Fresh Off the Bus

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to the second story of my RWBY: Bloodlines AU.
> 
> The first one, A Game of Embers (link here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20224753/chapters/47930323) was a side story rather than a prequel. So I feel this story is a proper start to the main plot which will build over time. I hope anyone who comes across this story enjoys it as I've enjoyed putting it out.
> 
> Constructive criticism is doubly appreciated this time around, because I'm actually going solo with this fic. No proofreading here. This is what I hope you'll find to be an enjoyable future story that I'm looking forward to seeing gain traction. No pressure, right?
> 
> With that being said, let's rock and roll.

**“I always wanted to be somebody, but now I realize I should have been more specific.” -Lily Tomlin**

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Tower, this is Incipio-9, approaching landing pad 5-C. Requesting permission to dock. Over.” The pilot of an SB-65 Air Bus hailed to Beacon Academy’s control tower.

“Roger, Incipio-9.” Tower sent back over the radio. “Got the new kids aboard, we take it?”

“Affirmative, Tower. No motion sickness complaints yet. We might have forgotten the barf bags though. Over.” The pilot joked.

“Nah,” The operator replied with a laugh. “It’s being catapulted off the cliff they should be worrying about. Over.”

“Yeah, they’ll cross that bridge when they get there. Over.” The pilot snarked as he continued the path to the landing pad.

===========================

Elsa Valkyrie looked outside the window feeling appropriately shocked at the scale of her Kingdom.

Urban expansion was one thing, but there was some novelty to seeing the outlands in the far distance which brought her a sense of how the concerns of her previously average life as a girl from the Mistraltown district of downtown Vale seemed so insignificant compared to the present.

_The best part of a long trip is that it gives you time to think, Elsa._ Her father, Lie Ren, spoke one time when looking over her admission papers. _Not necessarily about what you’ve done, but what you can accomplish._

The young Viking girl sighed as she continued taking the time to enjoy the view before getting down to business at her new home. Her new school.

It was interesting how close her family’s home and restaurant; The Fen Lotus was to the airship dock in Vale was in walking distance. But that wasn’t what plagued her mind.

Nope. What plagued it was how she plans to make these next four years count. Which she didn’t fully think through. 

It wasn’t exactly wrong to say that Elsa was excited, but nervous. Sure, she was happy helping at home. But after hearing her parents and their friends’ stories about being real tough cookies with long histories of slaying Grimm and saving the world from a great evil, she couldn’t pass this opportunity up.

Of course, Ren and Nora did get criticized a lot by some vets for basically homeschooling their kids in the ways of becoming Huntsmen rather than sending them off to a combat school.

“It really makes you think.” Elsa observed regarding the wide outside view, finally speaking to her brother, Cha Hua “Charlie” Ren after they went airborne along with other new students. 

“Dad was onto something regarding the time to think. Hopefully, it was enough when we took off.” She pondered

Cha Hua, a tall, stout young man with his father’s pink eyes and black hair took note of his little sister’s mixed emotions and merely smiled to reassure her.

The guy was basically like a big teddy bear when it came to his friends and family, even beared the idealism of one. Elsa could always turn to him for useful advice, at least.

“I think you’re overlooking that advice a bit.” The Mistrali boy replied. “What dad really meant was that you should take that time in order to get to a new place quickly.” He argued.

“You sure you’re remembering the real context?” The girl replied, eyebrow cocked.

“Well, I mean…It’s a matter of perspective.” He replied, flustered.

“If he really wanted to leave it open to interpretation, he would have told me to think about it in another way and decide for myself.” She snipped. “But I see what you mean. I didn’t think we’d be shipping off to Beacon so soon.”

“Me neither." Cha Hua replied. "But I am pretty sure we’re gonna get funny looks just like mom and dad for not attending Pharos. Or any other combat school for that matter, which is just a long flight from here.” He observed.

“At least Beacon is basically within walking distance from home. So, I guess we’ve underestimated how it’s kind of a small world?” She retorted.

“Nah.” Cha Hua answered. “Still, the view here is pretty nice. Really does make you think about what could be in store once we get out there.”

Elsa couldn’t argue with her brother’s words and went back to contently staring out the window. 

She looked over a few photos on her Scroll of some memories before focusing to the present. Including her 13th birthday bash which included the gift of her longsword and shield, Sigrun & Bjorn.

The blade being forged by her “Uncle” Jaune Arc, and the shield being crafted in part by her other blonde mentor, “Auntie” Yang Xiao Long.

Another photo included her hair being dyed blonde to reflect her adoration for her mentors in combat.

Sure, she looked like she could have Jaune’s kid, but she was indifferent to that misconception due to how much the guy meant to her.

===========================

Being a ginger from birth like her mom, Nora, Elsa is a short but well-built girl with two pigtails in her hair and a rosy freckled complexion.

Her combat gear, a brown pelt-looking outfit with skin-tight red pants, an amber scaled breastplate and fur boots along with armored shin guards and a leather choker along the lower part of her neck gave off a very Nordic aesthetic to her. Something that reflected her Valean identity.

Cha Hua, however, had a different take on it to better reflect his Mistrali roots.

Clad in an ornate blue and gray yotoi hakama robe with leather hip and shoulder guards sewn in, it helped reflect his resemblance to a Southeasterner like his old man.

Both could’ve easily passed as a settler from Anima who immigrated to Vale, which suited them just fine since they blended right in over at Mistraltown.

Their weapons were another thing to reflect their separate histories.

Elsa’s weapons reflected how much she wanted to emulate Jaune’s sword-and-shield style of combat while adding her own take to it with being more agile and less defensive. 

Bjorn wasn’t quite as bulky as the shield half of Crocea Mors, but it still held a bit during her first Grimm encounter when she discovered her Semblance: War Shout. AKA, where Elsa unleashes an amplified yell that intimidates weak-minded individuals. 

The memory of her missing a training dummy when Jaune was teaching her how to swing Sigrun around made her wince as her tantrum ended up summoning an Ursa pack.

But with some helpful reminders and saves from uncle Jaune, they held out and sent the smaller ones packing.

Cha Hua’s weapon was a hefty Kanabō club he named Kira-San. Much like Nora, Charlie prefers a brute-force approach with his weapon. There was no ranged mode to speak of (that was more Elsa’s thing because of how she can toss her shield).

However, when he needed some distance and wasn’t bashing a Grimm’s skull in, a quick press of a button on the hilt revealed a Yari blade which would be used to prod someone (or something, ergo Grimm) with the hidden pointy end of his big stick.

Charlie’s Semblance is Steel Skin.

Being exactly what it says on the tin, one day during training with Jaune, the poor kid freaked out as his mentor was swinging his training sword, dropping his wooden shield when he saw a flash in his mind: The still image of tempered steel clashing with plate and chain mail when Jaune tried to pull back his blade. 

Only for the thing to shatter upon impact on the boy’s arm, his body shining in the sunlight which caused him to feel hotter other than the panic he felt from the sword nearly cutting him.

Or so he thought.

It took Ren rushing downwards to his boy’s whimpering to calm him and open his eyes which felt noticeably thicker upon his new shell forming for the first time, trying to hold back his shock on seeing his son with a new shiny coat that he would later discover that, yes, it was his Semblance.

_“Look at me, son. Look at me!”_ Ren begged. The kid’s eyes opening which reflected into his father’s as he looked down upon himself. Nora and Elsa dropping the newly acquired groceries walking into the backyard upon this revelation.

But upon learning to control his Semblance? Yep. Cha Hua was well on his way to becoming a Huntsman, grinning at the image of breaking a Grimm’s teeth upon their failed attempts to gnaw at him whenever he popped his shell. He’s a Valkyrie, alright.

===========================

“I know what you’re thinking, and the answer is no.” Elsa randomly said.

“I didn’t say anything.” Her brother retorted.

“You were thinking that metalizing your arms would get you a girlfriend, weren’t you?” She interrogated.

“Pfft, whaaaaaaat?!” He replied, offended. “No! ...Okay maybe a little. Considering how some villagers were clearly freaked out with me snapping some Grimm’s jaws open. And crushing their skulls, and beating a few with their own limbs- -“

“We get it, brother. You’re violent with Grimm.” She dryly responded.

“Ah…Yeah, you’re right.” He said dejectedly.

“We’re cleared to dock at Beacon Campus. All students sit tight, because we’re going in for a landing.” Incipio-9’s pilot announced over the intercom.

The siblings were watching news feeds for the past 20 minutes after their talk when Elsa finally spoke up, seeing Lisa Lavender over at VNN talk about latest activity in the Kingdom and beyond.

“…In the wake of recent disturbances by the Sons of Taurus anarchist group, Menagerie chieftain Ghira Belladonna along with his family, including his daughter, Blake, a veteran Huntress and Beacon alumnus who have been frequent targets of scrutiny and death threats by the SOT recently took to a statement at the Menagerie embassy in Vale city.”

The screen cut to holograms of the Belladonna family being projected straight from Ghira’s home office as they took turns answering questions from the press inside the embassy’s office.

The mountain of a Chieftain looking as piercing as ever with his gaze towards the crowd as he tented his massive fingers together before speaking.

“Therefore, with the increased SOT activity in the city I’m afraid I cannot be with you in person today.” He declared, leaning towards the desk. Kali and Blake on his right, Sun with his and Blake’s daughter on the left.

“That being said, most of us are still willing to answer any questions you may have about how we will proceed with ensuring Menagerie’s relations with the rest of Remnant.” Ghira continued.

“Question for Blake!” One journalist from the Patch Sun Times newspaper spoke. “Do you and Sun feel safe in Vale as of late? You’re both Beacon alumni, so you can handle yourselves in a fight, but do you think it’s wise to be here right now?” She asked.

Blake nodded at the reporter’s words looking over to her husband while she presented her question, then responded.

“We’re definitely looking into coming by with a security detail while SOT are creeping around. They’re not well-organized, but they’re big in numbers. Which may not be easy to curb right away.” She answered.

“We can handle multiple guys at once.” Sun explained. “That’s easy for us, but with how big the movement has gotten? Might not wanna come here just by ourselves.”

VNN cut back to Lavender talking about who exactly the Sons of Taurus were. And how they were nothing like the civil rights-era White Fang, who the past leadership decried as poor imitations of what the Fang originally represented before turning into a terrorist organization.

“Can I be honest?” Elsa asked her brother.

“Sure.” He replied.

“I’ve seen Grimm turds that are more well-organized than these jackasses.” She bluntly stated.

Cha Hua laughed. Looking back at the stories that their parents’ friend, Blake would tell them about how disorganized the White Fang was after the Battle of Haven.

What the organization used to be in the past was one thing, but a whole group of anarchists who wear black all day and dress in cheap hoodies that you could have found at _Bullseye_ clothing retailers.

Way in the back of that Air Bus, a young Faunus’ ears shifted to the side, hearing a pair of siblings talk about these amateurs who had been haranguing her family for a while.

She looked up, green eyes and scruffy long hair appearing from under her hood as she observed the siblings childishly riffing the SOT.

The girl smirked, taking in the amusing sight of them throwing shade at these idiots from afar.

Was a welcome sound compared to all the talk of worries on her home island regarding what the Sons were going to do to stir more trouble about Faunus compared to the crazy crap that her parents dealt with back then when they attended Beacon.

The young feline let it slide, though. All the talks of an attack on her family’s manor was enough to warrant a few immature wisecracks at the Sons for how much they start shit, thinking they can’t get hit.

_Yeah, right._ The girl thought.

She drew her hood up to avoid being recognized after seeing herself alongside her folks on the idiot box within the Air Bus’s canopy while they were on approach.

_Well, me, time for me to start putting my training to good use._ She told herself. _Get ready, Beacon. Here comes Alexandria Belladonna._


	2. An Hour Heir-ly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More new students disembark onto Beacon's campus, the kids begin to meet. Albeit without proper introductions at first.

“Ah! Good. You’ve landed safely, sir.”

Dominick Schnee looked up from the video feed on his Scroll, chatting with his family’s butler, Klein Sieben as a last-minute checkup soon as he stepped off the Air Bus.

He took his suitcase and adjusted his eyes to Vale’s sunlight before proceeding down to the auditorium for the speech welcoming First Years.

“You don’t have to worry, Klein. I’m no stranger to turbulence.” The heir spoke, his baritone voice carrying over the airwaves of the CCTS network.

Klein merely chuckled and shook his head.

“I know, sir. I’m old and I worry. But your parents and I couldn’t be prouder of you for making it into Beacon.” He said with a smile.

Dominick, a sturdy young man with undercut white hair swept to his right looked up at the main building before looking back to his scroll. 

His polo shirt was better than being cooked in his combat attire: Half-plate armor cobbled together from metal tempered in a forge that would melt the snow in Mantle’s tundra.

It honestly suited him along with his khaki shorts he wore in favor of his usual slacks, the latter of which didn’t do him any favors in the sun either. 

He adjusted his round-framed glasses as he cleared his throat and spoke back to his butler.

“It’s nothing, really. And you’re 58 years old, Klein. By today’s standards, that’s fairly young.” He argued in a humble response.

“Well, I changed your diapers when you were little, Master Dominick. I could pass as one of your relatives, could I not?” He asked, grinning in a manner as if he were a sitcom star holding for a laugh which his young master raised an eyebrow at.

“No.” He retorted, barely holding back a smile.

“Aww. You bloody kids just don’t appreciate old-time humour.” Klein pouted, assuming his “grumpy” persona with his eyes turning red.

The heir snickered, holding a fist over his mouth.

“Yes, I do!” He replied, trying not to burst out laughing.

“Let’s face it, sir. For all your professionalism taught by your mother, you can’t quite escape the humour of my personalities.” The servant replied with a wink.  
Dominick shrugged with a smile.

“Point taken. Assembly starts in a little bit, Klein. I’ll talk to you all soon.”

“Good luck, sir! We’ll be rooting for you over here.” The balding servant encouraged as they hung up.

===========================

The heir walked down the courtyard, impressed with the scale of Beacon when it rested upon such a tall cliff. It seemed so tiny compared to Atlas Academy, and even compared to Haven based on what his folks told him about it.

What with his parents, Weiss and Neptune, having been there during the Vale Crisis along with Weiss’ best friend and her son’s legal guardian, Ruby Rose.

'Nick,' as he was named after his great grandfather, Nicholas, walked down the courtyard with his briefcase in hand wondering what kind of team he would end up in for the next four years.  


Hopefully it wasn’t with some tool raised among his country’s nobility. 

Being a noble was enough of an issue for him. While the Schnee Dust Company was radically different from what it used to be, he still felt like an outsider based on his name alone.

The rest of Remnant lauded Weiss as a hero for stopping a lot of bad shit that would probably take a whole number of stories in Remnant’s timeline to mention.

It wasn’t like there could be a bunch of topics that were best kept secret from the public, right?

Nick paused in his tracks. Blinking for a brief minute as he could have sworn, he got too specific on that topic based on what his parents told him what they did in fighting some great evil nearly 20 years ago.

“It’s a little early to be thinking about that now…” He muttered to himself as he tried not to think back to how Weiss would dodge the question regarding this great evil.  


Instead, following her and Neptune’s example in cutting his own path to becoming a Huntsman. He had the weapon, the heart, and the know-how so there was no turning back.

Once he wasn’t acting as a Human roadblock that is.

“OOF!”

Dominick felt someone crash into his back as his eyes widened. He turned around to see a young blonde girl with freckles in a mock-pelt outfit landing flat on her butt onto the pristine concrete.

“Ouch…” The teen moaned as she looked back up to the giant white-haired guy before him and her face scrunched up in annoyance.

“Hey, man, watch where you’re standing!” She barked, causing Nick to recoil.

“Oh, I’m terribly sorry.” He replied, offering a hand up which she took in hesitation. “I didn’t hear you coming. I swear.”

“Ugh. It’s fine. In the future, can you not stand in the middle of the way?” She huffed.

“I…Didn’t mean any harm. I was just lost in thought to where I didn’t hear you. Apologies.”

Before the blonde teen retaliated, a young man with pink streaks in his black hair wearing a hakama with shoulder pads and shorts cleared his throat over to the younger of the three present.

The Nordic girl walked over to the boy with a huff as he shot an apologetic look at the future Dust magnate, in which they proceeded into the auditorium together.

Dominick rolled his eyes at how rude she was acting but took a deep breath and stepped inside along with the rest of the First Years to report to the Headmaster’s assembly.

Hopefully that would have made up for his unwelcoming first encounter with a classmate. Better yet, didn’t affect his standing around the school.

_Focus, Nick._ He told himself. _You can call her out on it later. For now, it’s time for an assembly._

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After a playing of Vale’s national anthem on the loudspeakers, a blonde green-eyed woman in a tight dress that looked too tight for her middle-aged body stepped to the podium of the amphitheater.  


She tapped the mic to see if it worked before turning on a teleprompter to her left and speaking to the audience of new meat.

“Good afternoon.” The woman began. “My name is Glynda Goodwitch, and I am the headmistress of this institution. You have traveled far and wide here to this school in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you are finished, you plan to dedicate your life in protection of the people of this troubled world.” She went on before pausing briefly. 

The silence in the room other than the feedback from her microphone and her heels clicking across the stage filling the air as she switched the teleprompter off, looking back directly to the new students.

“The last headmaster here used to say that he looked upon new students and saw only wasted energy.” She finally continued, causing some skeptical responses among the student body. 

“In need of purpose. Direction. You assume that knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will…Will prove that knowledge can only take you so far. It is up to you to take the first step.” She said next with a pause.

The next teacher to speak as Glynda stepped aside was a red-bearded bald man who wore a black polo shirt, jeans and combat boots.

“You’ll gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow, your initiation begins. Dismissed.” The redhead tersely spoke as the assembly was quietly adjourned.

“What the heck was that?” Cha Hua asked the boy who his sister bumped into earlier.

“I think she went off-script there.” The muscular teen responded to the stout one. “Is that normal?”

Charlie shrugged.

“You tell me. We’re not even Combat School transfers.” He replied, looking over to Elsa who did her best not to make eye contact after getting huffy with the taller boy earlier with how embarrassed she felt from that meeting.

“I think that I set your friend off earlier.” Nick spoke.

Cha Hua attempted to retort with: “She’s actually my- -“

but the girl took his hand and quickly walked off to the ballroom before he could finish his sentence. The Mistrali teen shooting the white-haired boy another apologetic grin as they stormed off.

Nick squinted one eye confusingly as he got up, suitcase in hand once again to set it inside his locker for the night before getting to work for the initiation.

On the way there, he was greeted by the voice of another young woman who laid on the railing of the auditorium’s staircase.

“Real gentlemanly of you there.” She joked as Dominick turned to see an old acquaintance, relatively speaking.

A cat Faunus with long, scruffy hair, a green corset with aquamarine at the sleeves. A dark green bandana around her neck spoke as she sat up with her combat dress exposing her shoulders.

Her lengthy skirt was green and aqua as well to reflect her almost ghostly appearance as she confidently smirked at her childhood playmate.

“Alexandria.” Nick said calmly. “I wondered when you would arrive.” He observed.

The feline stood up, jumping from the flat railing and landing feet first onto the marble floor.

“Say my name and I’m already there.” She remarked. Waltzing up to him in a playful manner as she smiled at the taller aspiring Huntsman. “So. An Atlesian noble attending Beacon Academy.”

Nick looked to the side breaking eye contact.

“It beats basically attending a military school.” He admitted with a neutral face to not let her dissuade him. “And you?” The heir asked.

Alex shrugged.

“What can I say? Following in my folks’ footsteps.” She answered, smile briefly fading. “But seriously, with the SOT on the rise I thought it was high time to take up arms and start my tenure here.” She said in a less enthusiastic tone.

“I see.” Dominick replied with a nod. “I hadn’t noticed how bad it was until I saw your family on the news earlier in the Embassy. My condolences.” He said remorsefully.

Alex pushed a strand of her hair to the side as they walked over to turn in their weapons, so that they may be stored inside of their new lockers for when Initiation began.

“Yeah. With the exception of the indigenous tribes, whole island is on edge regarding what kind of crazy shit the Sons are gonna do to incite violence, cause a disruption, et cetera.” She explained. “And the worse case scenario: Bringing Grimm ashore.”

“Why are the tribes so relaxed about it?” He asked in a tone that he took on to show his empathy for Faunus.

“These guys have been apparently fighting long before we were given the island at the end of the Great War.” She said.

“Couple that with territorial disputes, debates over ownership in a classic immigration story, and they claim to have more experience than any island militias in the rare event that Menagerie is invaded.” She finished.

“Alex, I- -“

“You’re dead-set on your duties in being an Heir to SDC?” She bluntly interrupted. “I get it, Nick. You’re a busy man.”

Dominick frowned. Not in an angry manner, but how dismissive she had gotten with him in recent years. They hadn’t even paid much attention to each other when they were little so what started their rift?

Couldn’t have been their families’ past issues. Weiss and Blake were like siblings and Alex respected Weiss enough even though her corporation was responsible for a lot of damage to Faunus in the past.  


Whatever the reason, both would have to deal with it later as the time to prepare for tomorrow’s training was now. 

And Nick was looking forward to a structure that was nothing like the horror stories he heard about Atlas Academy where students were always treated like soldiers rather than, you know, a skilled teenager learning how to become a badass defender, preferably without being viewed as cannon fodder.

“Did you attend Bestiary Academy by any chance before coming here?” He asked.

Alex nodded.

“Sure.” She replied. “Being the Chieftain’s granddaughter, I was hazed a little for being mislabeled as ‘special’ or ‘privileged’ compared to the other kids.”

===========================

Soon, they had been greeted by the student quartermaster and had presented their weapons to be stored for tomorrow morning.

Dominick’s weapon was Erbenfluch. Pump-Action Shotgun Halberd forged from an old trench gun wielded by his great uncle and namesake for his middle name, Karl Jurgen Schnee.

Miraculously, the shotgun had been in top shape compared to how it was found in Willow’s old weapon shed. 

What was even cooler was how it still fired after a grenade was pulled out from the barrel that could have blown the whole thing apart!

Nothing a little weapon maintenance taught by Neptune couldn’t fix. Along with ‘auntie’ Ruby giving him a few pointers on how to clean a gun as if it were his own car.

Nick didn’t know why, but he had always taken a liking to the axe. His folks helping merge the blade head from a Halberd below the pump together with a collapsible stock and slam-firing capabilities – in which the shooter holds the trigger down and with each pump another round goes off.

Alex’s weapons, Emmanuel & Samedi, were a pair of cutlass blades with hilts that could be drawn into semi-automatic flintlock style pistols that were essentially holstered whenever she drove them into the bottom of the blades.

There was a plug that went into the gun half of E&S’s barrels whenever she hilted them into the swords. The trigger mechanism being locked as well for safety’s sake so there would be no accidental discharge.

“Alex Belladonna?” The quartermaster inquired.

“That’s me.” She answered by inputting her biometric signature from her Scroll onto the locker code.

“Thank you. Dominick Schnee?” He asked next.

“Yes.” He replied by following suit with the signature transfer as they handed over their weapons.

“Okay. You kids are all set.”

“Thanks.” Alex replied. “What now?”

“Now, you’re gonna settle in and get ready for Initiation. Preparation won’t take long at all. Just be aware that you’re gonna be on your own sans for your teammates.” He explained. “Don’t stop for anything. Just keep going and kill any Grimm you see.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening settled in.

Dominick laid at his sleeping bag, reflecting on the quartermaster’s words and looking back to how his parents described Initiation. Granted, Neptune was just a transfer to Beacon.

But was Shade really any different other than Vacuan students literally taking a slide into an oasis to kill Grimm and use the palm trees for cover and weaponry if need be?

Either that, or Professor Ozpin had a really sick sense of humor when it came to laying out some ground rules for how to make a proper entrance for your first day as a bonafide Huntsman-in-training.

Nick never met Ozpin; he wasn’t even alive during the Battle of Beacon and the Vale Crisis. But he was told that he was a mentor who picked his battles not-so-carefully and more let most things slide.

Did that paint his folks the wrong way? Hard to tell. But this current Headmistress. This Glynda, she seems qualified enough to run a school of this level of magnitude that essentially trained child soldiers to fight soulless beasts.

“No pressure.” He muttered to himself. “Four years definitely helps.”

As he continued his reflection, Nick rolled over to notice Alex against a pillar on her sleeping bag wearing a yukata. The same one her mom wore at Beacon that she handed down to her which was re-stitched with her daughter's emblem: A cat skull Jolly Roger.

Alex was always fascinated by tales of pirates. Which probably helped out her aesthetic for combat. Sure, the Eastern design of her nightgown was a far cry from what she wanted to dress up as for battle. But Blake's old yukata was easy to slip out of anyway.

As she turned the page to her book, she looked up and saw a blonde pigtailed girl being held back by a chubby dude who had just put on his own PJ's as she averted her gaze from Nick out of…What did Alex see it as?

Embarrassment?

Shyness?

Remorse?

Faunus were adept at sensing body language. But even with Beacon's newest swashbuckler trying to deduce what this chick was feeling she couldn't get a read on her.

Her cute little head was already turned away in a flustered look of annoyance, the brunette guy holding her by the shoulder in words of reassurance.

As Alex went back to her book, she looked over to Nick who just shrugged and suggested from the look in his blue eyes that he and her would talk about it later.

Alex went back to reading as she felt a yawn escaping her lips.

Setting a bookmark in her hardcopy novel, she was about to plop down into the cylindrical pillow when she was greeted by the flustered blonde who was avoiding Nick like the plague.

Elsa groaned as she landed face first into her sleeping bag, which her neighbor slightly recoiled at.

“You look like you had a rough first impression there, sweetie.” Alex said in an attempt to make conversation before lights out.

Elsa groaned again, revealing her freckled face with a look of dejection in her eyes.

“Try being the rough first impression.” She moaned. “I'm not doing anything wrong with my first night here, am I?” The Nordic girl inquired.

Alex's cat ears shifted in confusion.

“I just got here. You tell me.” Said Alex.

Elsa rolled onto her back as she viewed her Faunus classmate as if she were upside down.

“In case you missed it, I gave a bad introduction to tall, pale, and muscles over there.” She explained, pointing to Dominick who had fallen fast asleep.

“Oh, you mean Nick.” Alex replied.

“You go back with him?” Elsa asked.

The cat girl sat her candlestick down briefly then looked into the young Viking's eyes.

“Yes and no. Long story, but did he yell at you by any chance?” The former asked the latter.

Elsa found herself blushing as she thought for a second.

“Not really. It was, uh…Me who yelled at him.” She hesitantly answered.

Alex shook her head looking up as she formulated her response.

“Well, there's your problem.” She answered with a quick stretch. “Sounds like you didn't give him time to speak and you snapped in return since you perceived him as the cause of your outburst.” She finished.

Elsa had a dejected look on her face. But this kitty was right, this was on her.

Not this Nick character who dressed like a cubicle jockey in a loan agency when he was supposed to make the impression that he was combat ready rather than dressing in some ‘business-casual-Friday' manner.

Oh well. You never know who’s going to come through that double door at one of the four Academies, so Elsa tried to put it aside as she laid back down and rested her eyes.

“Alright. I overreacted, so you win this one.” She said before drifting off.

“Win?” Alex replied. “Who said I was trying to win the argument?” She inquired.

But before she'd get her answer, Elsa was asleep with a light snore which Alex just let slide.

Tomorrow was a big day with a lot of things on a lot of minds regarding the new meat to enter Beacon. Gods willing, that was what these four came here for. To learn as they went along.

Alex took her candlestick, blowing the flame as dark was cast onto her and Elsa's area of the ballroom as she too fell fast asleep.


	3. Blasting Off Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pads are locked, the feeds are on. It's time for Initiation.

Alex awoke to the sound of footsteps around the ballroom as she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw being her arms laid out to her side almost reaching for her book bag. 

As she sat up, she squinted at how frickin’ bright the sun shone through the recently erected stained glass windows of the Academy's ballroom windows.

Although she grew up on a tropical island she didn't usually wake up to see this much sunlight blasting in her face.

Now, Alex was no stranger to daytime. Having taken after her dad in terms of being an early riser rather than someone who obnoxiously boasted about good mornings.

She was definitely more reserved on Blake's level rather than Sun. But that didn't stop her from the morning routine.

She finally got up. Taking her book bag and stretched out until she heard a satisfying pop in her back which prompted her to hit the showers, get changed into her combat attire and get ready to roll out.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dominick looked around for a seat to have breakfast: Bacon with scrambled eggs and sausages.

Bratwursts were one of his family's favorite side orders so it would have to do in the absence of the real good dogs that frequently ran in his clan's tastes in grub.

Alex probably wanted some space and was looking to see if there were any Faunus, maybe some of her friends from Bestiary who may have come on the Air Bus to pursue the Valean lifestyle.

Nick didn't blame her. Atlas was by no means a fun place, but he did feel a bit homesick with his attendance at his Combat School: Crusader Academy. 

He surveyed for another spot, being careful not to spill his coffee he finally sat down to eat.

“Nick?”

That was, until he was greeted by yet another young woman who he had a history with. A burgundy-haired, blue-eyed girl in a set of white fatigues. 

“Nick, it's Cher Ami Cordovan. From Class II in Crusader?”

The heir's eyes brightened as he recognized her.

“Cher!” He exclaimed with a smile. “You're attending Beacon, too?!”

The girl just grinned at his surprise.

“Well, of course I'm attending here, silly.” She explained. “Just like I planned to when I was about to enter Year 8. What about you?” She asked before taking a sip of coffee.

“My parents put a good word in with the Headmistress. And no, there were no bribes like my dad joked about.” He said.

Cher Ami laughed.

“At least my family never threatened another academy head with the force of a Titan Grimm-killing mech.” She wryly commented.

“Right.” Dominick responded. “So have you gotten into any positions in the Army yet?”

Cher enthusiastically nodded.

“Yuh-huh! Check it out!” She said as she revealed her scout insignia which Nick was immediately awestruck at. A pair of binoculars interlaced with a combat rifle and shotgun stitched on her left sleeve that read: **Atlesian Pathfinder** in bold stencil lettering.

“Whoa. You're a Pathfinder?” He said in astonishment.

“Sorta.” Cher answered. 

“Initially, I was training to become General Infantry, but the Lieutenant in charge of my Junior Reserve Officers platoon was so impressed with my slippery nature that he had to list me as fit for scouting work." Cher then explained. "You're talking to an official Pathfinder cadet.” She finished with a salute.

“Just how far do you plan to go with that?” He asked.

Cher lowered her right hand from the salute and continued.

“LT says I could be eligible for Force Recon, if I play my cards right.” She spoke.

“You say that like it's a bad thing.” Dominick said with a cocked eyebrow.

Cher shrugged.

“Nah. Just that I knew I was gonna be Light Infantry based on what my uncle wanted, and what grandma kinda expected seeing as how she started as a Light before joining ASOC.” She nonchalantly replied.

“So, you'll be brandishing your old sword in return to kill some Grimm.” Nick observed.

“There’s no need to be jealous.” She joked. “Command knew that Crusader was a good proving ground before I did any real Huntsman training. So they agreed to send me here in order to learn it because Atlas Academy's washout rate is not a good sign for Combat School noobs.”

Dominick nodded as he took another bite out of his eggs.

“Doesn't surprise me.” He said in between chewing before a swallow. “Why Beacon, though?”

“Why not?” Cher replied. “Besides, with this being the most well-regarded Huntsman Academy in the four Kingdoms it was kind of a no brainer seeing as how I'm just a reservist for when I graduate.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cher Ami and Nick finished catching up on old times as the redhead from yesterday called all First Years to report for Initiation.

The students' held their weapons in hand, fully kitted out. Their suits ready to withstand some Grimm sinew and gore as they would proceed.

Beacon Cliff stood just adjacently from the Emerald Forest, twenty or so students having taken their positions upon Glynda's instruction and now standing at attention having just performed a last-minute gear check before the fun began.

“Good morning, students.” She spoke.

“Good morning.” They replied in various manners.

“I trust everyone is rested up and ready for action, so let's cut to the chase: Today is when your lengthy training is going to pay off via an assessment within the Emerald Forest.” She explained, followed by the red-bearded man speaking next.

“No doubt you've heard about being assigned teams.” He said. “This is normal. And each of you will be given teammates today during and after Initiation.”

Elsa, Charlie, Alex and Nick already knew this from what their parents told them. But they humored their teachers and allowed her to continue without sounding like a squad of Captain Obviouses.

“I don't wanna freak you twelve out, but you aren't really going anywhere without your teammates seeing as how you're stuck with them for the next four years.” Redbeard explained. “You wanna find someone you can work well with, in your best interest. Which is why the next person you make eye contact with will be your partner.” He finished.

At this, the students' faces all looked panicked at this edict. They looked to their sides. Namely with Elsa shamefully looking away from Nick again which caused her brother to cringe.

“Uh-oh…” Said Cha Hua, dreading the idea of seeing those two bicker regularly.

“After you've partnered up,” Glynda said next, “Make your way to the Northern end of the forest. Don't hesitate to destroy everything in your path…Or you will die.” She finished.

And on that bombshell, the First Years took their positions, weapons at the ready on the tiles they stood at.

Glynda further explained that there would be no assistance from Beacon faculty, but they would be graded in their skillset and cooperation with their new teammates.

Their objective like the case of all First Years: Make a beeline for the Northern end of the forest. Retrieve several relics, kill all Grimm they come across and just survive. Preferably with team communication.

_Easier said than done._ Alex thought, calmly crouching as if she were getting ready to pounce.

“Sir?” Cha Hua questioned Glynda's successor. “I know this is probably a dumb question, but are we gonna be falling into that forest?”

Redbeard nodded, disciplinary eyes being hidden behind his shades.

“Yep.” He answered. “No parachutes here, son. Feet first. Use your Semblance or your weapon if you have to. Just keep moving.” He said as he stepped back to make room for the students' descent.

Cha Hua gulped.

The military-looking combat instructor stepped back again, beginning a countdown to Initiation.

“Okay. Jumping in 3…2…1…”

There were no words from here on out. Only action.

“Mark!”

The tiles literally sprung to life sending the students 20 or so feet in the air with some screaming as Glynda looked to her rugged successor as she calmly sipped a coffee expecting a response out of him.

“Well, Claude. Once more unto the breach.” She said.

Claude, AKA Redbeard, chuckled.

“This is a lot more exciting than Jump School, Glyn. I'll say that.” He said as they pulled up the camera feed of the Forest to watch the new meat at work.


	4. Touchdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our new heroes link up and introductions are had. Wouldn't be a proper team without knowing your teammate's names, now would it?

Twenty students were about to fall face-first to their deaths into a Grimm-infested forest.

They had to think fast, knowing that the first item of business on their coursework was to get a proper landing strategy.

Fifty seconds were less than enough to think of something quick, or they'd all start to feel like roadkill soon enough. The application didn't quite cover: “hey-you-wanna-learn-how-to-be-a-badass-well-you-gotta-dive-into-a-hot-zone-first.”

But what did the application really cover apart from greatness and opportunity to hone one's craft and be selfless above all else in the defense of Human/Faunus kind?

Let's be fair, Hunting Grimm is a brutal job. Hey, someone's gotta do it. So why not teach teenagers that when they're still figuring out life using one of these schools as an avenue for such?

Those fifty seconds were plenty of time to consider the choices they made. And plenty to regret.

Elsa Valkyrie on the other hand, was equal parts loving and hating this part.

Just like her mom, Nora, who had one of the biggest bloodlusts (and appetites!) in her class, Elsa got a rush from the thrill of battle.

She had faced Grimm before when she first unlocked her War Shout Semblance so she had some experience. That, however, was under adult supervision. Elsa wasn't a kid anymore.

Well…She strived not to be one. She already knew damn well that her temper may be a liability in some cases so she was glad to take some deep breaths before blasting off into the woods.

But that wasn't important. What was important to think about now was how to stick her landing.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Forty seconds.

Twenty feet away from his darling sister, Cha Hua was really hating this unlike her. 

Charlie is still a Valkyrie, so he was actually looking forward to fighting Grimm for real unlike when he and Elsa were kids and only fought small skirmishes in one of the villages that their family was on a trip to.

When suddenly, a small pack of Grimm showed up to ruin the nice trip. With Ren and Nora providing cover fire after giving them permission to kick some ass, the siblings held their own with some additional backup from village security.

Initially, the couple hesitated to enroll their kids at Beacon due to the kind of war they waged unbeknownst to the rest of the world. Hoping that Glynda wouldn't pull that with their kids into another proxy war against the Grimm.

In their talks with Weiss, Neptune, Sun and Blake, they weren't as hesitant as they were. Hell, Ren, Nora, as well as Sun and Blake were substitutes at the school. So yeah. The idea crossed their heads at one point about enrollment for their children.

Cha Hua didn't have time to think about it, though. He just had to act here and now before certain death.

As he assessed the landing path, he closed his eyes, thinking back to imagining Jaune and Ren in a friendly duel with training swords. And he got his wish by armoring up. Charlie felt heavier, sure. But the unstoppable force was about to meet an immovable object.

He held on tight to Kira-San, winding it up for a swing before anything else and was about to land feet-first into the ground.

He drew the Kanabo back as he saw a Nevermore chick flying overhead…Or so he wished he hit it. Missed the bird as he was about to turn a nearby tree trunk into confetti.

“Aw, man!” He exclaimed as his swing didn't land before landing his impact into the trunk, with it landing in a flurry of leaves and bark when he felt something black, red, and soulless all over soften his crash. 

Getting up, Cha Hua noticed a pair of Ursae that went splat from his back landing. He widened his eyes as he saw a Boarbatusk literally squealing bloody murder as it began to roll over him. But Charlie stomped into the ground and dared the boar to come closer.

The Grimm obliged as it curled into a ball and rolled just like Pumpkin Pete after snorting Dust fuel for a race car. The boy drew back Kira-San in another attempt to play ball and step up to the plate.

_THWACK!_

Home Run! The swine flew back into the same tree Charlie had crashed through, turning into bloody mush as it disintegrated before it slumped dead on the ground. Several nearby Ursae retreated as if to come up with a new plan of attack for this Human.

“Cool.” He said with a smile, setting off with Kira-San resting over his shoulder until he was caught off-guard by the sound of gunfire. 

A pump slamming down below the barrel. Likely a shotgun followed by the sharpness of a blade. The kind of melee weapon that was being used, he couldn't pick out all the way from here.

So he jogged to the best of his ability under this much weight (other than his obese stature) with heavy metal footsteps to investigate the source of the gunfire.

And probably end up with his partner.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thirty seconds.

Alex opened her green eyes in an assessment for her landing. There was no clearing so she would likely have to phase her way through the treeline which suited her just fine so she could slice, dice, and shoot up some Grimm.

The stories that have been told about Faunus killing Grimm like a hot knife through butter during the Great War? All true. Alex was told as to why early on in her Huntress training when asking Blake about how it feels for Faunus to destroy a Grimm.

_It's not rational, honey._ Blake explained one time at dinner while telling war stories with Sun. _You feel…Elated. But given our instincts as predators it's more of a survival instinct sometimes._ She went on.

_What about self-defense?_ Alex inquired. Just as curious as her own breed.

In that memory, Blake explained that self-defense is one thing. A Faunus and his/her skills in combat was another.

Nobody mourns for the Creatures of Grimm, seeing as how the only measure of success for them was kill-or-be-killed.

You could also say that it was some good catharsis. Taking out one's frustrations on beasts that feed off of frustration and other bad emotions was, well, ironic. But helpful for all the Faunus who have dealt with bigotry at some point in their lives.

Just about to make her phase into the brush, Alex heard a scream. Female.

She turned to her left and saw a girl. The flustered blonde girl from last night who got into a spat with Nick, flailing in the air as she appeared to be aiming the pointy end of her sword towards something, anything to land before she was turned into a bloody pancake.

Alex's jaw dropped as she aileron rolled to the left and held out her arms, then felt her body tingling to an intangible form as she grabbed the girl's stomach in a bear hug and pulled her sword up to help her land safely onto the tree with digging it in.

“What the hell?!” The blonde exclaimed as Alex then saw Ursae coming this way, phasing back in and drawing her thirsty blades.

_Come and get it, teddy._ She taunted in her mind.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twenty seconds.

Dominick drew Erbenfluch upwards, surprisingly landing on point with the axe head sticking into a nearby branch as he jumped down. The padding in his steel boots softening his impact.

He pulled out his ammo bag, loading several shells into the shotgun before he pumped giving a satisfying cocking sound. The head sliding down along with the pump as he proceeded down the trail.

The canopy was pretty dark. No questions there. He attached his Scroll to his breastplate, turning on the flashlight as he slowly trudged through the forest with Erbenfluch's slim end ready to perforate any Grimm that wanted to play rough.

Unfortunately for them, he'd play rough back.

_CRACK!_

Nick's train of thought was cut short by the sound of something crashing onto the ground.

He quickly deduced that it was a tree branch that fell, followed by something metallic landing as well which made him extra suspicious as he was about to check it out, only to hear growling noises coming from his right.

Beowolves. Three of them, with one Alpha in the center from the looks of it. He cocked his shotgun…

“Bring it.” He taunted.

Bring it they did. For the Alpha charged first as Nick blocked it’s claws with the handle of his weapon, in a knuckle-lock struggle while the other Beos had charged in to try and cut him to ribbons.

Nick, however, decided to fight dirty and kick the Alpha right in the jewels, causing it to yelp as he was about to decapitate the wolf before being interrupted by the other two charging towards him. 

He countered their attempt with a swing of his axe which sliced their noses open, but they persisted even in excruciating pain which he readied the shotgun, kicking the Alpha back as he used his fit body to incapacitate said Alpha with an elbow drop to its neck.

His elbow knocked the wind out of the mutt as he sat up from his laying position and put two buckshot rounds into the other’s faces.

Their remains flew just above his face as he jammed the barrel into the Alpha’s skull and blew it’s brains out. Not that Grimm had any to begin with.

Nick reloaded more shells and cocked the pump once again as he proceeded to find the source of the metal impact.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Elsa slowed her breathing as she looked around what was below. There were Grimm down here, and they smelled the negativity coming off of her initial shock she barely recovered from just now. 

The blonde considered her options. She couldn’t stick here all day, and she needed to find a partner and soon. Maybe track whatever jammed her sword into the tree as well, assuming it was on her side.

She looked down at the Grimm who were trying to sniff her out. Did they just have bad eyesight? They’ve got a negativity radar, so that might not have been the case. What was taking these things so long?

Either way, she had places to go and looked back on Ren’s words on tranquility.

_You must remove yourself from the current moment and focus on the next step._ Her dad’s words echoed.

Elsa closed her eyes, breathed deeply and found herself in a state of mind she could get behind and allow herself to get in the right mindset in a way for her first major Grimm battle.

Picture the scene…

A garden representing peace in a Mistrali village.

Birds chirping, humming insects minding their own business.

A bamboo spigot which rose and fell like a see-saw tapping a water bucket occasionally as the river calmly flowed after a storm.

_Drip-drip-drip-drip-drip…_

The young Viking opened her eyes, jumping from the tree with Sigrun in her right hand as she leaped off and readied her weapon against the Grimm.

But they didn’t sense any rage, fear, or sadness coming off of her. It was…Calm?

It mattered little to them. The Grimm pounced, but Elsa sliced through each of them with a swing that wasn’t as strong as she practiced.

Her blade was caught stuck into an Ursa’s hide, but she improvised and tossed her shield, Bjorn into a nearby tree which zonked a Saber and landed straight onto the dirt.

The Ursa limped over in an attempt to swipe, lazily grabbing her by the leg but as she tripped the longsword fell limp to the dirt after the bear-like Grimm faded away.

“Come to mama.” She said as she picked up Sigrun and went forward with the other Grimm retreating to lick their wounds.

But as she proceeded to find Cha Hua, she heard the sound of applauding which caused her to flinch and draw her sword again only to see a Faunus in aqua-green who drew her pistols at her newest partner.

“Whoa, whoa! Easy, blondie!” The feline warned as she cocked her hand cannons. “Is that how you planned on greeting your partner when you came here?”

Elsa flinched again and facepalmed with her left hand, dropping Sigrun again.

“Oh, my gods, I’m sorry!” She frustratingly exclaimed. “I had just killed those Grimm, you came in and…Argh, the whole partner thing slipped my mind! Stupid!” She groaned as she kicked the dirt.

Alex lowered her guns in empathy as her ears drooped. She hilted E&S into sword mode and slowly walked up to Elsa to show that she wasn’t annoyed by her fit, just wanting to show that no offense was taken.

“Hey. Relax, will you?” She softly spoke. “I’m not mad. You just caught me off-guard.”

Elsa looked from behind her shield, giving an apologetic look at her new teammate as she huffed while picking up Sigrun and dusting off her fur coat.

“You’re right, I’m sorry. Um…Elsa. Elsa Valkyrie, that’s my name.”

Her feline ally looked around at this greeting, deciding that she was trustworthy enough to know of her name, so here goes nothing.

“Alex Belladonna.” She said. “And yes, I am Blake Belladonna’s daughter. I just don’t wanna see it made public in the school right now.”

“My parents are kinda famous, too. But I know your mom.” Elsa replied more enthusiastically.

“You do?” She asked with a folded ear.

“Yeah, sorta.” Elsa replied. “She would come by and visit my family’s restaurant, but I don’t think she brought you along. This is the first time I’m hearing about you.”

Alex nodded before continuing.

“No doubt you and your friend saw me on the newsfeeds on the Air Bus yesterday.” She observed.

Elsa sharpened her sword on a rock as she spoke next.

“My brother, Cha Hua Ren.” She answered. “Call it a sibling instinct, but I’m looking for him so we can hopefully link up with his new partner.”

“What’s your bro’s style in combat?” Alex asked.

“He’s kind of a brute force guy.” Elsa explained as they ran down the path into a nearby canopy. “You remember what he looks like, right? Black hair, pink skunk stripes. Armed with a Kanabo.”

“Didn’t see someone with a weapon like that, but I know who you’re talking about.” She answered. “I could sniff him out, see where that takes us. Just leave the night vision in the darkness here to me and try not to lag behind.”

Elsa nodded as she tapped Bjorn with Sigrun to get hyped up.

“Okay, Alex.” She said. “Lead the way.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cha Hua wrestled with a Deathstalker, metallizing to cover his skin from the scorpion Grimm’s venom.

Before punching the Deathstalker’s pincers away, he was about to slam both fists into it in order to stun it before he found himself coiled by a King Taijitu that even he had trouble worming his way out of.

He screamed in rare anger in an attempt to get the anaconda off of him.

“Let go of me, dang it!” He spat. Feeling the snake coiling tighter in an attempt to suffocate him.

Just as his Aura was about to go in the red with the Taijitu failing to pierce his armored skin thus shattering it’s fangs, the beast hissed in pain as it merely tightened its way to get it’s prey to shut up.

“HOLD ON!”

But his descent into unconsciousness was interrupted as the Taijitu’s white half loosened it’s grip noticing the new target: Dominick.

Enraged and eager to empty his shotgun into this freak. He rushed forward in a downright feral scream, holding Erbenfluch upwards which split the white head in two.

The black head retaliated with a headbutt straight to the crusader’s gut, knocking the wind out of him in the absence of its fangs.

Nick landed into a nearby rock, putting a crack into it with his wrecking ball-levels of durability as he looked back up even angrier. 

He picked up Erbenfluch with a growl as his Aura held out from the impact. But the toothless bite was given a riposte by him blocking the Taijitu’s mouth with the halberd’s handle.

They engaged in a deadly game of tug-o-war with Nick letting out another throat-splitting roar as he dared to defy the Taijitu’s presence as the real predator in this Initiation.

Cha Hua, meanwhile, withstood his previous strangle and got back up.

Preserving his energy as he merely focused the steel into his arms rather than the rest of his body, he grabbed the bifurcated white head and yanking out the snake’s heart which caused it to shut down and collapse while Charlie squished the heart before the beast disintegrated from its’ faceplant.

As the Mistrali looked behind him, the Deathstalker was no longer where it stood previously. Probably skittered off in the struggle with both sides of the Taijitu’s rage.

Both made eye contact, and just as Cha Hua was about to thank his partner for the assist, Nick drew Erbenfluch, freshly reloaded and cocked as he aimed for him.

“Hey! Same team, same team!” He exclaimed, waving both hands in a begging gesture to calm hostilities.

But his pleas were subverted as he felt a two-legged impact behind him. A Grimm.

“Duck!” Nick instructed as his new partner did just that, slam firing several quickly loaded shock slugs into the Nevermore chick before slicing it’s head off and reloading Erbenfluch once he helped the other guy back up.

“Ha ha…Thanks for saving me there.” He sheepishly spoke as he held his hand behind his head.

“Certainly.” Nick replied. “I guess this makes us partners now.” He then observed.

“Looks like it. You look like you can handle yourself in a fight, but I guess that’s not up for debate with the team system.” Cha Hua said.

Nick nodded as he introduced himself for the sake of bonding.

“Dominick Schnee, at your service.” He said as he held out his right hand, resting his halberd over his shoulder in his left.

“I’m Cha Hua Ren, but my friends call me Charlie.” He said as they shook hands. “Nice to meet you!” He beamed.

“Nick.” He replied with a nod as the handshake concluded. “So now that we’re paired up, I guess we’ll have to meet our teammates. Are you looking for someone in particular?” He asked.

“Well, my sister Elsa was with me when we took off into the woods.” Cha Hua answered as he finally dislodged Kira-San from the ground as it was knocked out of his hands from the Deathstalker’s pincer swing.

“You might’ve already met her yesterday. 5’2”, blonde pigtails, armed with a sword and shield.” He explained.

Nick’s eyes widened.

“The girl who bumped into me yesterday is your sister?!” The crusader exclaimed.

“Yeah, she’s…A bit shy.” The Mistrali admitted. “That’s why she freaked out whenever she got near you in the evening after she started that spat.” He added.

The boys exchanged an awkward look as they dusted off their outfits and weaponry before proceeding down a trail to what hopefully led to the site where students would pick their Relics.

"I didn't mean to set her off, Charlie." Dominick expressed.

"Nah." Cha Hua rebutted. "Elsa has a bit of a temper. So she was really trying to not make a scene when she was hiding from you, but I guess that backfired."

"If it's any convenience, I'm not exactly well-tempered myself." Said Nick. "But she can handle a fight I take it?"

"Definitely." Cha Hua responded as they walked while keeping an eye out for Grimm.

"She's a pretty skilled swordfighter. Just don't try and get her to shout. That's her Semblance, but it's not exactly safe because it affects those with a weak mind. Demoralizes them, basically." He explained.

Nick's eyes furrowed in concern.

"That might be a problem with Grimm lurking around here." He expressed.

"She's got a pretty good grasp on it, but you're not wrong." His Mistrali counterpart expressed. "Looks like you also noticed mine." He said with a smirk as he armored up his right fist.

"Impressive. That explains why you managed to rip that Taijitu's heart out." Said Nick. "My Semblance is the ability to send out fissures which can be based on any Dust Element I channel into my weapon here."

"So, you're Weiss Schnee's son. Right?"

Dominick nodded.

"Yes, but I'm not as refined as my mother." He said. "That being said, I'm still determined to carry out my duties as the heir to our company and work hard on becoming a Huntsman in the mean time."

"Cool, man." Charlie said. "So how about we get out there, assemble our team and have a proper introduction with my sister?"


	5. When All You Have Is a Hammer...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New bonds are formed. New Teams are assembled, and it's a little strange at first. Just another day at the office.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, GOD this took forever. Writer's block. Depression. Work stuff. Family issues. I think it's easy to say that this isn't my best chapter so far, but I hope it's enough since I couldn't really come up with a good battle scene near the end of it. Hope y'all like it regardless.

Alex and Elsa crawled through the forest, narrowly avoiding Grimm along the way.

The Faunus gave hand signals to indicate where to shimmy on over to next as to avoid setting off these things with the sound of their voices. Which suited Elsa just fine as it gave her time to practice her quiet game skills and develop her calm state.

The girls made their way to a clearing observing nearby students, probably the rest of the First-Year class heading to what appeared to be the remains of a temple. So, the new meat had arrived at their objective. 

On the far left, an olive-skinned student in red battle dress uniform finished literally hammering home the war hammer on the end of his shotgun, straight into a young Berengel’s gut as a navy blue-haired young man with a great sword had pierced the ape’s heart.

“Atlas students.” Alex sneered. “Well, at least we’ll have more precise backup for getting the Relics.” She added, eyes rolling.

“Faunus tensions?” Elsa questioned.

“Yep.” Alex said with a nod. “But if they’re willing to kill some Grimm, then I’m willing to roll with it.”

Elsa stood up, hoisting herself up with Sigrun after laying stomach first on the ground as they made their way to the ridge to catch up with Charlie and Nick.

“Do the Sons of Taurus have something to do with it?” Elsa asked.

“Sorta.” Alex replied. “Let’s go meet up with our teammates, then I’ll explain everything after Initiation.” She insisted.

Elsa jumped and slid down the hill, tumbling back into a combat stance as she sliced up and stabbed a pair of stray Beowolves before being greeted by the Deathstalker the boys had encountered earlier. She held up Bjorn to withstand the stinger, but before any impact, the scorpion was peppered with a flurry of heavy caliber pistol rounds.

She looked up to see Alex from her jump, diving into the Deathstalker with her pistols holstered and her blades plunging straight into the Grimm’s backside causing it to hiss in pain as it turned into dust.  


Alex had sat up, holstering Emmanuel & Samedi as she looked over to Elsa, who nodded to show that she was okay. The girls had walked over to the temple site, only to hear a young man call out to her.

“Elsa!”

It was Cha Hua, running over to reunite with his little sis.

“Charlie!” She beamed, leaping into her brother’s arms in a spinning embrace. 

The two of them laughed in joy and relief as they finally saw familiar faces in this forest, with Nick smiling at the sight. Wondering if this is what having a younger sibling must've been like.

Cha Hua had set her down and proudly looked at Elsa with how she survived the path so far.

“This definitely isn't like Chau, huh?” She asked. Referring to their first Grimm battle in a mining town that sat next door to an SDC quarry.

“At least SDC security isn't here to do our jobs for us.” He joked with gesturing to the trees either burning, cut down or had a hole blown in them with the other First Years' weaponry.

“Hmm…” Dominick wondered, trying to recall a report his mother heard of a Grimm horde passing through in the rural areas, shortly sending her own security detail within an hour to cull any nearby stragglers. Be they bandits or Grimm.

“But we're here now.” Cha Hua spoke as he turned to notice the nearby cat Faunus. “Hey, and you found a partner!” He luckily guessed at which Elsa nodded.

“Sure did.” She agreed. “Alex, this is my brother. Cha Hua Ren.” She introduced.

As they greeted each other, she went for the Relic site only to notice Nick who she sadly frowned at, flustered at her attitude from yesterday afternoon.

Nick's eyes widened as he happened to notice the girl’s defensive prowess in managing to aggro that Deathstalker. She definitely wasn't as sturdy, and definitely not as armored up as him, but the Schnee heir was still impressed with how well-crafted her sword looked. How simple her pelt get-up was.

Any mistakes didn't matter now as they had Relics to collect.

“Um…Hey.” She quietly spoke, immediately breaking eye contact.

Nick merely adjusted his glasses, clearing his throat as he introduced himself.

“Hello there.” He began. “Well, you must be Elsa Valkyrie. Your brother and I are partnered up, and it looks like you met with my old associate, Alex. My name is Dominick Schnee.” He greeted as they exchanged an awkward handshake.

Elsa looked back up at him, taking notice of his surname but ignoring his title.

“So, I imagine you're probably embarrassed over our initial spat yesterday morning.” He said. “If it's any convenience for you, I wasn't paying attention. So, I apologize if I caused any undue hostilities between us.” Nick concluded.

Elsa blinked, saying nothing at first before standing up straight to focus herself.

“I-It doesn’t matter now, because that was yesterday. Let’s g-get those Relics and assemble our team already.” She sputtered, walking up to the dais where the Relics were planted.

===========================

The Rook, Queen, Bishop, Knight, Queen and King chess themed Relics would be part of the evaluation as to how each team would be formed. What roles they would perform for their studies and their styles of combat.

Dominick, Cha Hua and Alex noticed the pieces and looked carefully along with the Atlesian Team. To their left, another group, this one from Vacuo by the looks of their dusty kit, had taken notice of the Chess set of Relics and debated as to which would fit them.

Although, Elsa wasn’t looking for a philosophical debate and instead went for the white Knight piece, catching the attention of the rest of this First-Year class, their reactions silent.

“Is there any reason you went for the Knight?” The blue-haired Atlas cadet with the greatsword asked.

“...Because I like horses.” Elsa plainly replied, flummoxing her new classmates.

Soon as everyone gathered their pieces, Cher Ami climbed to the top of the Relic site, pulling out her binoculars and searching for Beacon cliff.

“What do you see, Cher?” Dominick asked.

The Pathfinder-in-training had adjusted the zoom on her binocs, taking note of a ridge. Looked perfect for rock climbing on the way back up to the cliff and fulfill their objectives.

“Assuming none of us have the right Semblances or weapon recoil boosts here, that ridge looks like our only option.” Cher Ami pointed out. “We might wanna hoof it before any Grimm arrive.” The scout suggested.

Alex’s ears twitched as she heard her classmate’s suggestion out. Surely this couldn’t- -

_Stomp, stomp!_

The Faunus recoiled her head back as the First Years were immediately shut up upon hearing such a noise. They looked around to see the source in the distance. It was black, red, white, and soulless all over as it climbed up a pillar far off from the Relic site.

A Beringal.

The gorilla watched carefully to see if it’s new prey was available to be thrown around like a bunch of ragdolls. The vibrations from its’ snarls rumbling across the grassy surface of the site as the students readied their weapons, in case any other Grimm would come to play.

“Hey, gato?” The hammer-wielding student spoke up to Alex as she leered towards the gorilla. “I think I killed that Beringal’s baby earlier.” He said with a wince as he tightly gripped the slim end of his weapon.

“Damn it! That’s the Alpha?” Dominick cursed as he backed up next to Cher Ami and the greatsword-wielder, the latter of which rolled his eyes at as if to tell Nick: “Oh. It’s _you._”

Elsa nearly felt Sigrun fall out of her grasp as she backed up, bumping into her brother as he placed his hands on her shoulders to reassure her for whatever came next. And yet the ape didn’t even seem to catch Elsa’s fear right away. Just continued to hang onto the pillar.

“Why is she just hanging there?” The navy-haired cadet inquired. “One would think that this would be the perfect opportunity for it to jump over here by now.” He pondered as he planted his sword into the dirt.

“That’s not just any Grimm, Winston.” Cher Ami spoke. “Alphas tend to strike last by letting the rest of the pack strike first before moving in. We know that Rodrigo probably set it off earlier when he killed the baby Beringal. She’s probably figuring out who to strike first?” She theorized, pointing to the hammering student.

The other First Years stood on overwatch into the woods, seeing if any lesser Grimm would come on through, try to overrun them. A Vacuan musketeer stood by aiming towards the sky, seeing if there were any nearby Nevermores or Griffins to pick off.

“Tariq, what are you doing?” Another Vacuan transfer spoke, her weapon lowered as she noticed her teammate aiming high, but about to hit low if something went wrong.

The teen sniper had looked straight at his goat Faunus teammate’s concerned face. As if his falcon eyes nearly pierced through her.

“Something is up there, Farrah.” Tariq grunted. “I can feel it.”

If by ‘something’, he meant a nearby Griffon being scared off by the Alpha Beringal, seen flying away from the tower within the forest, that may not have been it. But Tariq felt his plumage-like hair stand on edge with the sight of the gorilla’s leering into the distance.

“Okay, so…Should we make a run for it or fight this thing?” Cha Hua pondered. Hands tightening their grip around Kira-San.

Nobody responded, even though some were absolutely terrified. By now, they would have been Grimm food, right? Their negativity didn’t help things. It could have spelled doom for them by now with the rate at how scared some of them were.

And yet, they were proven wrong with the Beringal making a big leap into the chasm below.

“What the hell?” Alex muttered to herself. Ears shifting in alert before promptly being cut off by a gust of wind swooping from the chasm as the Alpha flew up, wings sprouting from it’s back as it roared, flying and perching it’s way onto Beacon Cliff.

===========================

The Initiation took a sharp turn for the worst when the Beringal had flown towards Beacon Tower. But with some quick help from nearby Atlas air forces, the beast was shot down just in time with the First Years completing their objectives with the Relics. Flattening any Grimm along the way.

Not usually an ideal Initiation, but it certainly wasn’t the craziest thing that happened ever since Glynda became Headmistress, let alone in her 30-odd-year career as a teacher.

She would have to reflect on that later, for here were the new meat of this year, ready for Team assignment and their new designations. The students had stood at attention after another playing of Vale’s national anthem with members of Parliament present for this occasion.

“Winston Marigold, Cher Ami Cordovan, Kayla Khaki, Rodrigo Rojo. You four selected the white King piece. From this moment on, you are Team WCKR (Wicker). Led by Winston Marigold!” Glynda declared.

The audience applauded, with the new team of Cadets giving a proper salute to the crowd. Dominick was not impressed as he shook his head knowing how much of a boost to Winston’s ego this would be. Just like at Crusader, prompting Cher Ami to give him a nervous grin soon as she finished her salute.

Team WCKR’s faces filled the screen on-stage, their faces neutral as if they were mugshots. The circular emblem of Atlas in their portrait backgrounds before Glynda continued.

“Tariq Ramadi, Mari Beige, Farah Sahara, Malcolm Tuscan. You four selected the black Bishop piece. From this day forward, you will work together as MMST (Mustang). Led by Malcolm Tuscan!”

Another ovation as the Vacuans stood together and put on a show for the crowd with a ceremonial war dance. Malcolm and Tariq stepped forward, while Farah and Mari pretended to punch the ground, squatting the whole time. The boys did a backflip, followed by a somersault landing on their butts, roaring at the crowd hyping them up, prompting an extra ovation.

Glynda gestured for the crowd to settle down as she proceeded to the kids of the hour.

“And finally…Elsa Valkyrie, Dominick Schnee, Cha Hua Ren, Alexandria Belladonna. You four selected the white Knight piece.” She said with a pause, keeping the audience in suspense.

“From this day forward, you will work together as Team EDCA (Edocha). Led by…Elsa Valkyrie!” She declared.

To say that reactions were mixed would be an understatement of the century.

“WHAT?!” Elsa first responded while the crowd cheered.

Cha Hua was equal parts proud of his little sister and shocked at that declaration. Dominick and Alex’s jaws fell agape as they noticed their new leader turn pale with shock among the applause and cheers.  


It was a momentous occasion, for better or for worse. Hey, it wasn’t the first time a young novice would be thrown into the role of leader so quickly, as the teens’ friend, Ruby Rose could testify.

She would lead this team, mentor them, set an example, and bring them into a new light for Hunting Grimm, and protecting those who cannot. This was the edict we all knew for Huntsman/Huntresses.

But as soon as they reached the catering tables, Elsa fainted.


	6. Unexpected Developments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team EDCA is born! With one little quirk to their fourth member.

Upon that bombshell of a team assignment, Elsa awoke in what would be their dorm.

For the next four years, this would be their home. A place to study, chill, sleep. But how would she even manage the place? Being assigned as team leader? Who was running this system?!

Maybe she was just overreacting. Ruby and Jaune were thrown into the leadership role with no prior experience, so she's definitely not the first example here. And yet, commanding her new friends, her own brother in combat. As well as their team being graded together, _that_ was heavy.

To be fair, the siblings were taught a great deal by their folks, and their friends about what to expect at an Academy like Beacon. It's not like they weren’t prepared for this.

And yet, being essentially homeschooled before Academy enrollment more prepared them for a rude awakening with how things were looking now. No turning back now. The new show must go on. And that's what these four had planned for a long time.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------

Elsa shook her head awake as she saw Dominick and Cha Hua sitting down after moving some boxes, holding their belongings, textbooks, supplies.

“Ah. You're awake.” Nick spoke with a nod, setting their new uniforms down on one of their desks.

“You holding up, sis?” Cha Hua asked.

“Holding up?” Elsa replied. “We survived Initiation, escaped a giant flying ape, took some chess pieces, killed some Grimm, and now I'm team leader? Kinda shocked at the moment, guys.” She explained. Looking down to the hardwood floor in an attempt to process all this.

The boys exchanged an uneasy look as Cha Hua sat next to his sister, putting his arm around her.

“You were reflecting on dad’s words yesterday, about what you can accomplish during a long trip, right?” He assuredly spoke.

Elsa curiously looked up.

“Uh…Yeah.” She quietly spoke. “I’m guessing this is where you clarify?” She asked.

“Should I give you two a minute outside?” Dominick asked, looking to the door.

“It’s okay, Nick.” His new partner replied. “Just keep unpacking. We’ll be here.”

“Alright.” He quickly spoke. Unpacking the merchandise to be put on display, the supplies to be put up.

Cha Hua soon resumed giving his sister a much-needed pep talk.

“Elsa, nothing is ever certain. Nothing is really guaranteed at first. I don’t even need to mention one of dad’s philosophical tangents, let alone mom’s weird analogies to cooking to remind you of that.” He gently spoke.

The Nordic girl looked up at that, given how much she loved hearing her parents speeches, and allowed her brother to continue.

“What dad also forgot to mention on our way to Beacon was that patience is power. With time and patience, the mulberry leaf can become a silk gown.” He said. “Remember that old saying when we were kids?” He asked again.

“Yeah. He used to tell tales of monks spreading knowledge across Old Mistral, even letting people convert to their order only if they wanted to.” She reflected.

“Not the point. But here’s the thing…” Cha Hua continued.

“You can’t simply rush into a leadership role. You gotta think about others’ needs before yours. I’m not leading this Team, and you may be too young to remember this, but you’ll never guess who said that? Along with learning to walk before talking.” He teased.

Elsa thought for a second, but her eyes widened upon recollection.

“Uncle Jaune?” She recalled with a gasp.

“Yep.” Cha Hua answered. “Sure, our training with him didn’t quite cover leadership. Maybe he didn’t think about it at the time. But frankly, based on Jaune’s words, being selfless is what matters the most with being a leader.” He finally finished.

Dominick blinked. Recalling stories of how Jaune used to flirt with his mother when they were his age, but to no avail. No wonder Neptune was so quiet about his own flirting.

Then it was his turn to speak.

“While I have no experience in leadership myself, other than how I’m being trained to lead my family’s company, I believe Cha Hua is onto something with Jaune's knowledge.” He spoke before sitting back down.

Elsa blinked next, trying to reflect on their words.

So, to recap: She bumped into this Schnee heir on her way to school assembly, made some bad first impressions with a guy who would end up teaming up with her, got catapulted into a forest full of deadly Grimm, drew her sword on some cat chick in green who now shares a bunk with her, listened to some junior reserves dick from Atlas run his mouth, narrowly escaped a spawn from a barrel of genocidal flying monkeys…

And now, here she is. Assigned as a leader of this latest Team.

Elsa sighed, looking back to her new teammates as she spoke next.

“You know what?” She began. “Charlie’s right. We haven’t come this far to screw things up now. If it’s what the school decides best, then I’ll do it.” She declared.

Cha Hua smiled, proudly embracing his sister for her new edict. Dominick, meanwhile, nodded in approval as he finished packing during their heart-to-heart.

If it worked for Jaune, it would work for Elsa with her teammates’ support. And by Light and Dark, that’s what she signed up for with taking up arms against Grimm. It was now or never, so here they were.

“Hey, Nick?” Elsa asked as she and Cha Hua split from their embrace.

“Hmm?” He said with a nod.

“What’s taking Alex so long?” Elsa inquired. “She said that she’d be back with lunch.”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------

“Ahem. That'll be 20 Lien, not 10.” An alfalfa cart vendor spoke to Mari Beige.

“Oh, my apologies.” She said. “I was told that it would be 10.”

“That was last year, this is this year.” He impatiently told her.

“Ah…Oui. Of course, monsieur.” She dejectedly replied, placing another 10 Lien bill on the cart. “I cannot argue with your prices.” Mari said as she took her new teammates' food order.

But upon seeing her new friend treated that way, Farah Sahara, pop star turned Huntress zipped up to the cart in a huff.

“And just what do you think you're doing?” Farah protested.

“Mindin' my own business, missy.” The vendor spoke. “If you haven’t noticed, some of us have bills to pay. Namely by feeding you First Years by hauling our carts all the way up here in the Kingdom's skyline, so we can make a quick buck!” He complained.

“20 Lien for alfalfa? Are you high?” Farah argued. “10 is the average price back in Vacuo!”

“Well, we're not IN Vacuo, now are we?!” The vendor barked. “20 is how we pay it around here!”

“10 Lien!” She shot back, dragging one of the 10 bills across the cart.

“20 Lien!” He snapped, pointing to his menu prices.

“10 Lien.”

“20 Lien.”

“20 Lien!”

“10 Lien!”

“20 Lien!” 

“10 Lien!”

“I insist it's 20 Lien or nothing!” Farah bickered.

“10 Lien, and it's my final offer!” The vendor finally conceded.

The goat Faunus took her head out of the guy's personal space and agreed.

“Thank you. May your road lead you to warm sands.” She hummed as her and Mari took off with their alfalfa.

The vendor opened his register, until recognizing he had been played like a fiddle.

_===========================_

The girls laughed as they sat to join their falcon and zebra teammates. Across from them, Alex sat waiting on the line to clear over at the Beetroot's burger stand hauled into the ballroom, which she placed an order for on her Scroll earlier.

“You don't seem too shocked that Elsa is in charge.” Alex observed to Malcolm, who merely ate his gyro sandwich while she waited on her order to be called.

“Well, I'm not exactly a leading man, but I'm just looking forward to honing my skills with this role myself.” Malcolm replied, running his hand through his black and white mohawk.

“You say it as if it is a bad thing.” Tariq commented.

“More like nervous anticipation, I'd say.” Alex deduced.

“Whatever the reason, I'm just gonna make the most outta being in charge.” Malcolm noted.

The girls sat with their new partners, joking about how they should have tried Farah's jinx method on getting their Air Bus tickets at a lower fare than the road from Vacuo.

Team MMST continued their chat with Alex, taking note about how much of an impact the Belladonna family had on restoring hopes for many Faunus, ever since the White Fang escalated their assault on Remnant. Such as with the Huntsman Academies like Beacon and Haven.

“Wow. Your family sounds super-cool with that much support.” Farah beamed.

“We're kind of a big deal, yes.” Alex humbly replied.

“Big deal? From what you're saying, it's like they changed the lives of Faunus in a snap!” Farah excitedly said with a finger snap to demonstrate her sheer awe at this tale.

Not really trying to keep it cool, the young Belladonna had just waved her hand.

“Okay, Farah, we're not THAT big of a deal.” The feline admitted in embarrassment.

“I believe what Farah is trying to say is that while your family's reputation is not parfait, it has left a sizable impact on all Faunus on Remnant, non?” Mari thought, which Farah just shrunk in her chair at.

“We all got our claims to fame.” Malcolm admitted. “But, we never really heard of the Belladonnas until meeting you, Alex.” He explained.

“My parents also worked in Vacuo during the Crisis. But this was long before I was born, so I won't fault ya if you didn't know.” She replied.

“This White Fang. They had been in Vacuo previously, yes?” Tariq asked. His falcon gaze unchanging at his new classmate.

“You weren’t told about them growing up?” Alex asked next.

“I'm afraid not.” Tariq answered. “Mostly, I was taught to hunt. But I was taught many things about Remnant's history.” He assured.

“You got an opportunity to learn more now, man.” Malcolm said.

“Indeed.” Tariq replied.

_===========================_

After they said goodbye, see you tomorrow and other such things, Alex got up to get some air after receiving a text notification that her order had to be delayed, causing her to grumble and head to the ballroom balcony to catch the view. Get some air.

She certainly had her doubts, but wouldn’t let this novice down with her skill.

Sure, she was a bit huffy. And her improvisation needed some work in the heat of battle, but Alex would hopefully show Elsa the ropes as she would valiantly charge with her new friends.

“New kid seems okay, though.” She thought out loud. “I just wonder what dad would think of her. How he'd teach her and all.”

_From Shadows!_

_We'll descend upon the world,_

_Take back what you stole._

_ _As if on cue, her Scroll rang. The caller ID featuring her mother's emblem of the Atropa Belladonna flower, black as night._ _

_ _Alex lit up, her train of thought being halted as she immediately picked up. The video feed coming online as she was greeted by her father, Sun Wukong._ _

_ _===========================_ _

_ _“Heya, Pumpkin!” Sun beamed. Seeing his baby girl grown up and having just take the next step to becoming a Huntress._ _

_ _“Hey! Dad!” She beamed back. Her usually stoic expression now glowing at seeing her old man. “What are you up to?”_ _

_ _“Why, just celebrating the fact that my daughter is officially a Beacon student.” Sun proclaimed._ _

_ _“You know that already? Dad, where are you guys at?” Alex asked. “I hadn't even texted you about it yet.”_ _

_ _Sun turned the selfie cam on his Scroll around as he revealed his friends, Neptune from Team SSSN as well as all of Teams RWBY and JNR gathered in a dining room at a pristine restaurant._ _

_ _“Glyn- -Er, Headmistress Goodwitch set up a camera feed from the Emerald Forest to play into our friends, your uncle Ren and aunt Nora's restaurant.” He answered. “We're actually in Mistraltown North. Reviewing the footage and everything.” He finished explaining, grinning._ _

_ _“Whaaaat? That's so cool! And, kinda weird that the Headmistress would allow that…” Alex responded. Ears folding at the idea of their first taste of combat being reviewed by their families._ _

_ _Sun just chuckled._ _

_ _“Ah, it's just a temporary connection, sweetheart.” He said. “But what do you think of Beacon so far?”_ _

_ _“Well, we ended up getting the Initiation Relics, nearly fought an Alpha Beringal with the help of nearby military forces, and our new team leader ended up freaking out at her new role.” She recapped._ _

_ _“If it's any coincidence, kiddo, I was a bit freaked out at that myself. Back when I was put in charge of Team SSSN.” Sun rebutted._ _

_ _“Yeah. She seems confident, but a bit easily flustered with being the center of something.” Alex said._ _

_ _“Okay, maybe I wasn't that big of a nervous wreck when I was Team leader.” Sun pondered._ _

_ _“And here you and mom are now, teaching at the first Faunus combat school in Remnant.” She said with a warm smile. “Where is she, anyway?” She then asked._ _

_ _“Your mom is just calling home, see how things are at the Valean Embassy, considering what the SOT are up to.” Sun wearily answered._ _

_ _“Dad, about the SOT…How worried should we be about them?” Alex inquired. “Considering we were boxed in at our Embassy when I was little, before…you know.” She quietly added._ _

_ _Sun's frowned at that memory. But his daughter was right._ _

_ _When Alex was younger, the Belladonnas were visiting Vale on diplomatic business, but had been trapped in Menagerie's Embassy, no thanks to the Sons of Taurus. They had escaped with Yang, Ruby and Jaune's help. And yet, it never instilled a sense of fear within little Alexandria at the time._ _

_ _No, what she felt was a new sense of a world at peace that wasn't perfect. But still had work to be done. Which inspired her to take up training to become a Huntress, and defend those who couldn’t fend for themselves._ _

_ _“You saw us on the news yesterday?” Sun asked._ _

_ _“Yes.” She said with a nod. “My new friends, they…Saw the report, too. Before we became teammates.”_ _

_ _Sun blinked before continuing, seeing Blake in the background as he gestured her over._ _

_ _“Alex, I'm gonna help organize things around the restaurant. But your mom's here if you wanna talk.” He said, quickly exchanging a kiss with his wife. “Love you, baby.”_ _

_ _Blake took the Scroll, her face softening at seeing her daughter passing the first test._ _

_ _“Hi, mom.” Alex said with a wave._ _

_ _“Oh, honey. It's so good to see that you passed.” Blake cooed._ _

_ _“I know, right? Not like I've been gone for a few days to reach Vale, catch a 12:30 flight up here…” She paused with a gasp. “Oh, wait!” She joked._ _

_ _Blake laughed._ _

_ _“Initiation wasn't too much trouble, then?” She asked._ _

_ _“We got thrown into a forest full of Grimm. I'd say it's a start for what we're in for.” Alex replied._ _

_ _“Yeah, that sounds like the Beacon I snuck my way into.” Blake joked back. “So, what's going on?” She asked, smiling._ _

_ _“Picking up some grub for my new teammates.” Alex explained. “And guess what? Nick is on my Team as well.” She said, less excitedly._ _

_ _“Dominick?” Blake inquired, blinking in shock at that name being dropped._ _

_ _“Mm-hmm.” Alex confirmed. “He seems as aloof as per usual. I don’t think he wants to talk much until he gets to know us, or somewhere along those lines.” She pondered._ _

_ _“Alex…Don’t you think you owe Nick the chance to talk?” Blake suggested, putting her daughter on the spot with a tall order._ _

_ _The younger Belladonna’s ears folded at her mother’s words, as she blinked. Placing her order at Beetroot’s on hold with a quick switch to the ordering app. Then going back to Blake on the video call._ _

_ _“I admit. Sometimes I wonder why we actually done goofed, once we weren’t kids anymore.” She solemnly answered._ _

_ _“You should talk with him when you get the chance. Maybe in between classes, once everyone is caught up.” Blake suggested more._ _

_ _“Well, I’ll give it a shot. But you know how Nick is when it comes to small talk.” Alex noted._ _

_ _“Yeah.” Blake said. “We’re not mad at you, honey. Just that it could be disruptive with your new Team. If you allow it to continue.”_ _

_ _“I know, mom. And I’ll talk to him when I can. Knowing how you and Weiss used to be.”_ _

_ _“Hey. At least we didn’t try to argue over which plushies were fluffier when he came to Menagerie for your playdates.” Blake joked._ _

_ _“Mom!” Alex replied in embarrassment but causing both of them to laugh._ _

_ _“I didn’t start it! To be fair.” Blake pointed out. “So, your dad and I are gonna take the rest of the night off. Enjoy dinner at Ren and Nora’s, but I wanted to say one more thing, Alex.”_ _

_ _“Yeah?” The daughter responded, probably knowing what was coming next._ _

_ _“We’ve had a crazy road on your path to become a Huntress. But now that you’ve passed Initiation, your father and I, we…”_ _

_ _Blake paused to sniffle, choking on her brief tears._ _

_ _“We’re just…So, proud of you.” She admitted, quickly wiping her eyes as Alex smiled._ _

_ _“Thanks, mom.” The younger cat softly spoke. “I gotta get our food now, but, I’ll talk to you soon. Love you.” She said._ _

_ _“We love you too, Alex. So much. Bye.”_ _

_ _===========================_ _

_ _Blake hung up, composing herself upon seeing her kitten, now passing the first test into becoming a Huntress, and ready to take on the world._ _

_ _Upon seeing this sight, Sun walked back over, hugging his wife as if to ask if she was okay._ _

_ _Blake nodded, kissing him on the cheek as she got up to pass around drinks to her friends around the restaurant. Ren and Nora in the kitchen, cutting up vegetables and other such ingredients for their buds._ _

_ _At a table in the far right, Neptune Vasilias blinked upon overhearing the details of Blake and Alex’s video call. Which caught Blake’s attention as she noticed him and Weiss looking like they didn’t wanna dance around the subject._ _

_ _“Sooooo…You think that Nick might get into a sports club?” Neptune asked. As dense as he was back then._ _

_ _Weiss only pinched the bridge of her nose, groaning at her husband’s vague nature._ _

_ _“Of all the things you had to ask about our son, you brought that up with the Goliath in the room?” She inquired. An eyebrow raised._ _

_ _“Okay, okay.” Neptune quickly spoke, hands up. “Yes. I’m concerned about how he and Alex will get along for the sake of being teammates.”_ _

_ _“It’s not just you.” Blake admitted. “Sun and I had been talking about it for a while, and details are still incomplete about how our kids all of a sudden don’t get along.” She admitted, taking a sip of her wine upon that recollection._ _

_ _“Yeah. Why haven’t they talked about it recently?” Weiss pondered. “You’d think that with sending them to Beacon, they’d come to us about it before then.” She added, finger to her chin._ _

_ _“She didn’t seem to respect you any less since then.” Blake acknowledged. “Though, given your family’s history, that’s a likely suspect.”_ _

_ _“I don’t get it.” Weiss complained. “They got along okay when they were kids and we came to visit you.” She said to Blake. “And now this whole ‘part-of-a-noble-family-with-a-checkered-past’ mark comes into play?” The CEO moaned, facepalming._ _

_ _Neptune took his wife’s hand in reassurance and spoke softly._ _

_ _“It wasn’t really something we could hide forever. And given how Alex can dwell on some things…” Neptune trailed off._ _

_ _“Well, they have a chance to settle things now.” Weiss assured. “I think.” She muttered._ _

_ _As she pondered on that, Ren walked over and filled his guest’s teacup, pouring another coffee for Weiss, who nodded her thanks._ _

_ _“Considering what I said in Mistral about embarrassing things we do when we’re young, the desire to not be so stupid back then, it could be a great opportunity for Alex and Dominick to mend things.” Ren admitted, stroking his recently shaved jaw. “We never stopped growing into adulthood, into settling down. And neither will our children.” He finished as Nora swooned in the background._ _

_ _“Oh yeah.” Nora said flirtatiously as she set the food down for Weiss/Neptune and Blake/Sun. “There’s my smart man.” She purred, raising her eyebrows as she hugged Ren from behind, who smiled._ _

_ _“Save me some of that mad knowledge.” Jaune joked after taking a sip of his beer. “Could help me re-apply for being a teacher at Sanctum, minus the fact that I can’t eat any more casserole.”_ _

_ _“Casserole?” Neptune reacted._ _

_ _“There was a group of moms at Sanctum. _Constantly_ gave me casserole and flirted with me.” Jaune answered. “One even tried to unbutton her shirt in the middle of a parent-teacher conference!”_ _

_ _“What is it with you and attracting mothers?” Ren inquired._ _

_ _“Minus me, Blake and Weiss, of course.” Nora dryly added, hugging Ren tighter._ _

_ _Jaune had seriously pondered that for a hot minute, before Yang interjected from a sip of her Strawberry Sunrise next to Ruby._ _

_ _“Dude, Raven would’ve hated you.” Yang observed. “Qrow tried to warn her when it came to my dad’s idealism. Look how well that turned out.” The blonde said with a wink, showing off her figure._ _

_ _“Guys, I think Yang might be a little drunk.” Ruby sheepishly admitted._ _

_ _“Hey! I’m still speaking full sentences, at least. You get really mopey when you’re drunk, so you have no right to talk, sis.” Yang shot back, which Ruby laughed at, followed by the rest of their friends._ _

_ _The laughter died down as Ren and Nora exchanged a happy glance, but their faces shifted as they sat down with Ruby, Jaune and Yang to address their daughter’s new leadership role._ _

_ _“You’ve been wondering how Elsa would be a leader, haven’t you?” Ruby quietly asked._ _

_ _“Yeah.” Nora replied. “Elsa is brave and everything. I know how much Jaune’s words mean to her on responsibility and such.” She said, looking to her fearless leader._ _

_ _“She’ll be fine.” Jaune assured._ _

_ _“We believe you, Jaune.” Ren said. “Her and Cha Hua have gone to Beacon because we knew they were ready.”_ _

_ _“And that was thanks to you.” Nora said, smiling towards Jaune._ _

_ _“Hey, I can’t take all the credit.” Jaune argued, scratching the back of his head._ _

_ _“It’s also thanks to their incredibly sexy auntie.” Yang remarked. “But yeah, we should just wait and see.” She said, taking a bite from a piece of crab Rangoon._ _

_ _“What about you, Ruby?” Jaune asked. “You’ve been awfully quiet through this whole topic.” He stated._ _

_ _Ruby pondered on that, knowing that her own experiences as team leader would be brought up. Not just Jaune. _ _

_ _And not that Sun wouldn’t be any help, but they figured with her being the Huntress to slay the devil herself, she’d have the most input. Even with Team JNPR not being what it once was after the Fall of Beacon._ _

_ _And yet, being more like Dominick’s auntie made things weird. Not that she wouldn’t suggest things for Elsa. But she would do her best._ _

_ _“The way I see it,” Ruby began, “there’s no real reason for Elsa to back down if she’s trained for this long. She can grow into her own person with her friends’ help.” She said over the Belladonnas and Schnees joking in the background before continuing._ _

_ _“Sure, she’s not given to relying on others like say, Jaune.” Ruby said, gesturing to her surrogate big brother. “But I believe that Elsa can break the mold. Show people how a Valkyrie gets stuff done.” She finished with a smirk towards Ren and Nora, who smiled back._ _

_ _“Going to be an exciting year either way.” Ren said as he raised his glass. “To Team EDCA!” He toasted, with his friends following suit._ _

_ _“Team EDCA!”_ _

_ _\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_ _

_ _Soon as she arrived with her team’s dinner, Alex had settled in. Dominick retrieving their uniforms, but in the midst of dinner, it was when her teammates had noticed something different about her when she put on a casual shirt._ _

_ _Which she dryly explained._ _

_ _“Oh. Yeah. I have two animal traits, by the way.”_ _

_ _The siblings’ jaws nearly hit the floor, but Dominick merely blinked and resumed eating into his burger as she let her explain._ _

_ _The trait in question? A cat tail, black._ _

_ _“I have several questions.” Cha Hua spoke, pointing a finger up with his meal in another hand._ _

_ _Alex merely looked to the side before putting on her casual shirt, reflecting on what she was born with, how she appeared into the world, being her own Faunus._ _

_ _“That’s…Complicated…”_ _

_ _To Be Continued_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, boi! Another story in this AU done.
> 
> My proofreader, Lost-One-60 was busy with Uni and other IRL stuff, thus couldn't proofread this. But I gotta give a special thanks to him regardless.
> 
> Once again, I also give a special thanks to psb123 for being a good inspiration for this AU, and for being so patient with my more heated moments in our conversations.
> 
> Thank you to my friends in the Black Sun and Rosegarden servers for humoring me with my crazy ideas for this future setting. Y'all fucking rock.
> 
> The story behind Alex's two traits are explained in...Bloodlines: Kitty Committee! (https://archiveofourown.org/works/21733588/chapters/51845746)
> 
> -Joe Jury


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